The present invention pertains to wall and ceiling mounted speakers and more specifically to a mounting frame for mounting a speaker in a wall or ceiling.
The architectural or custom installed loudspeaker industry continues to gain popularity each year. The shortcomings of standard recessed, flush-mount loudspeaker products have likewise become more generally known. More specifically, sound radiation from conventional flush mounted loudspeakers is often far from ideal due to limitations regarding the location of speakers within a room and the listening position.
Problems arise when the listener moves away from the axis of radiation of a speaker. The directivity of the radiating sound is related to the size and shape of the individual transducers that make up the loudspeaker array. Generally, sound dispersion can be described in terms of the ratio of the size of the radiating source to the wavelength of the radiated sound. When the source circumference is small compared to the emitted wavelength, the dispersion can be thought of as mostly hemispherical or wide. Likewise, as the ratio of source circumference to emitted wavelength increases, the dispersion of sound begins to narrow. Two-way transducers are often employed that include a cone type transducer for low and/or mid-range sound reproduction and another transducer, such as a dome type transducer for higher frequency sound reproduction. Midrange frequencies in the 1.5 to 3 kHz range have much wider radiation patterns coming from a 1″ dome type transducer than they do from say an 8″ cone type transducer. For a given two-way transducer array as described, when a listener is even modestly off-axis, midrange information loss can be apparent and continues to worsen as the degree of off-axis listening increases. This is a significant issue since midrange information contains essential vocal and musical material while also being a sensitive frequency band to the human ear.
Practical room, installation, and aesthetic considerations further complicate the situation. Optimal speaker placement is often prevented as a consequence of room parameters including the location of windows, doors and furniture. Also, the desire for an unobtrusive loudspeaker installation is the increasing trend. Being able to point the sound radiation in something other than a forward manner without protruding into the room environment becomes a clear advantage.
Previous attempts have been made to provide adjustable loudspeaker assemblies with one or more rotating, pivoting, or swiveling assemblies in an attempt to direct sound for optimal listening. These assemblies tend to be expensive to produce.
The '407 patent describes a tilt-adjusting wedge adapter that can be added to an existing frame assembly to set the baffle forward of the mounting surface, thereby offering sound directivity.
Numerous patents describe pivoting, swiveling, rotating, or otherwise adjustable driver or driver array assemblies, mounted either proud or flush, that require adjustment of one or more assemblies in an effort to achieve the desired directivity, have been established.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an improved method of directing sound radiation by integrating the directional capability into the frame and baffle of a flush panel-mount loudspeaker system.